Anyone rub shoulders with NBA players?

[DrReality]

I knew Doug Collins in high school. He played for Benton, Ill and I lived in a neighboring town. He had a silver tooth back then.

Curious if anyone else has had similar experiences?

[ATLHawks3]

Lou Williams went to my school, South Gwinnett High School. He brought the Hawks last year for an open practice.

Edited June 13, 2014 by ATLHawks3

[DJlaysitup]

I knew Doug Collins in high school. He played for Benton, Ill and I lived in a neighboring town. He had a silver tooth back then.

Curious if anyone else has had similar experiences?

Didn't know Collins - but I grew up 12 miles from Benton and was actually born at the Benton Hospital .

Not NBA players but my best "rubbing shoulders" episode was actually when we were in Guantanamo Bay Cuba on the ship in the navy. The old "Miller Light" advertising crew stopped there cause one of them had a Gal who was working at the base as "Athletic Officer". (this was before G-Bay was a prison outpost) Anyway I got to spend a couple evenings at the "O" Club with Hacksaw Reynolds and the 6-8" Big Ben somebody who terrorized QBs in the 60s or 70s and another guy who had played center for the Steelers. It was really cool. We drank beer and played bar shuffleboard. They were just basically there to wait on their friend and the "O" Club was the best hangout. Hacksaw was a really down to earth guy - he wasn't really any taller than me (5-10-ish) but he had huge features. I mean the guy's hands were like bear claws (with a manicure). His shoulders were very thick (even though he was retired)...he wore shorts and his calves were as big as my thighs. He had a Zaza head...not a guy you would want to fight...I couldn't see how anybody I knew could even faze him with a punch.

Those big fingers kinda hampered him at bar shuffleboard though - and I beat him. After that he made me his partner and we did real good in doubles

.

.

Edited June 13, 2014 by DJlaysitup

[buckeye242424]

I have a ball with Mookie, Smitty, Lenny... The whole team, except Deke... When in Cleveland. Which, by the way, is anybody watching how good Diaw is playing?

[DJlaysitup]

...Which, by the way, is anybody watching how good Diaw is playing?

Diaw has decent big man skills (good hands) ..the idiots who initially drafted him wanted him to play PG from what I have heard. (wink)

[buckeye242424]

Diaw has more assists than the Heat! Why'd we give up on him??

[buckeye242424]

Diaw has decent big man skills (good hands) ..the idiots who initially drafted him wanted him to play PG from what I have heard. (wink)

Yeah, that makes sense. A damn PG... No...

[DJlaysitup]

Yeah, that makes sense. A damn PG... No...

Well...BK had his ideas...I guess that's why he hasn't got another job in the league.

P.S. - 89-66 Spurs now...serious ass kicking....Spurs up 3-1 here shortly...and next game is at S.A.

Not very likely the Heat win three in a row with 2 in San Antonio...could it happen? sure. Chances? I would say less than 10%.

Edited June 13, 2014 by DJlaysitup

[DrReality]

Didn't know Collins - but I grew up 12 miles from Benton and was actually born at the Benton Hospital .

Not NBA players but my best "rubbing shoulders" episode was actually when we were in Guantanamo Bay Cuba on the ship in the navy. The old "Miller Light" advertising crew stopped there cause one of them had a Gal who was working at the base as "Athletic Officer". (this was before G-Bay was a prison outpost) Anyway I got to spend a couple evenings at the "O" Club with Hacksaw Reynolds and the 6-8" Big Ben somebody who terrorized QBs in the 60s or 70s and another guy who had played center for the Steelers. It was really cool. We drank beer and played bar shuffleboard. They were just basically there to wait on their friend and the "O" Club was the best hangout. Hacksaw was a really down to earth guy - he wasn't really any taller than me (5-10-ish) but he had huge features. I mean the guy's hands were like bear claws (with a manicure). His shoulders were very thick (even though he was retired)...he wore shorts and his calves were as big as my thighs. He had a Zaza head...not a guy you would want to fight...I couldn't see how anybody I knew could even faze him with a punch.

Those big fingers kinda hampered him at bar shuffleboard though - and I beat him. After that he made me his partner and we did real good in doubles

.DJ.....haven't been back to So Ill for a while since my dad died. You get back there?

.

[BudBall]

Lou Williams went to my school, South Gwinnett High School. He brought the Hawks last year for an open practice.

I went south aswell graduated 2010. Lou Williams visited pretty often. He is a great alumni.

Edited June 13, 2014 by ISO

[DJlaysitup]

".DJ.....haven't been back to So Ill for a while since my dad died. You get back there?"...

Not often...usually for funerals but I did get back for my "Johnston City High School" 30th reunion some years back...damn near got killed in the Marion Walmart by a tornado .

Overall the area is growing. No really good jobs to speak of from what I have heard but the cost of living allows one to live about the same there. Marion has the "Miners"...minor league baseball team with a decent stadium in sight distance from I-57. Of course Carbondale has SIU.

Check out the Marion Daily Republic newspaper website. I go there to check on local HS sports occasionally.

.

.

Edited June 13, 2014 by DJlaysitup

[Diesel]

I've met quite a few... but one's that I have been star struck meeting were: Larry Brown and John Drew.

[Guest]

I got an autograph of Manute Bol in 1988 at my local shopping mall. I also saw Bo Outlaw, Lamond Murray and Rodney Rogers at another mall around my area in 1997. That's about it. Lol

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

I saw Randy Moss during his rookie season at a Hawks game sitting in the row adjacent to me... rooting for the Pistons and causing a scene for himself. lol I also saw Dominik Hasek, ex-goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings, walking around a park in downtown Nashville before a game. My Mother went to the Masters one year and ran into Greg Norman.

[Admin]

Rubbing shoulders with NBA players you say?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39R3_D6Xidw&feature=kp

[Admin]

I saw Randy Moss during his rookie season at a Hawks game sitting in the row adjacent to me... rooting for the Pistons and causing a scene for himself. lol I also saw Dominik Hasek, ex-goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings, walking around a park in downtown Nashville before a game. My Mother went to the Masters one year and ran into Greg Norman.

Eh so you met Randy Moss. Just a regular old bald dude to me.

[Guest]

@Dolfan23 So meeting Manute doesn't get your attention huh? Dude was long even while sitting..

[Admin]

@Dolfan23 So meeting Manute doesn't get your attention huh? Dude was long even while sitting..

Oh man spudz I'm gonna try hard to ignore what you said lol. I'm sure it was weird meeting such a tall dude.

My only real time in the civilian world with an NBA player was sitting a couple rows back from Houston to San Fran when Yao Ming was sitting in the front row and legs hanging way out into the aisle.

[LamarHampton]

My buddy and i took the kids to the zoo a few months back and were taking about the Hawks. No sooner than we started talking about how Pero had been a pleasant surprise (this was pre-playoffs) he friggin walked by. It was weird; almost liked we'd summoned him by saying his name or something weird like that. My buddy and i followed him around for a second to make sure our suspicions were correct. Sure enough, it was Pero walking around the zoo with some friend of his. I cornered him by the pandas - yes, i was that guy - and asked him for a photo. My wife got a pic of me with Pero. He was even cool enough to do a goofy thumbs up photo with me. At the time he was recovering from a foot injury, i asked how his foot was coming along and he said fine. Then i mimicked him doing the one-legged three point shot, he smiled and gave me another thumbs up as he walked away.

I also got a hug from Chili from TLC when i was 18 and met Andre from Outkast briefly and then wound up eating next to him at the LaGrotta at the Ravinia Hotel by Perimeter Mall a couple years later.

Edited June 13, 2014 by LamarHampton

[Guest]

Oh man spudz I'm gonna try hard to ignore what you said lol. I'm sure it was weird meeting such a tall dude.

My only real time in the civilian world with an NBA player was sitting a couple rows back from Houston to San Fran when Yao Ming was sitting in the front row and legs hanging way out into the aisle.

Lol...this reminds me of..

Nigel Powers: So, little fella, I'm curious. Is everything in proportion?

Mini-Me: [Mini-Me nods unsure]

Nigel Powers: You know, your bobby dangler, giggle stick, your general-two-colonels, master of ceremonies... Yeah, don't be shy, let's have a look.

Mini-Me: [Mini-Me unzips his pants]

Nigel Powers: My lord! You're a tripod. What you been feeding that thing, eh? It looks like a baby's arm holding an apple. Good thing is, if you ever get tired, you can use it as a kickstand!

Mini-Me: [Mini-Me nods, smiling]

Wow...Yao on a plane. Yikes. That's insane I never thought about where Yao or Manute (rip) would put their legs on a plane..geez. Inconvenience.

Edited June 13, 2014 by Spud2Nique